D2h Subscribers Get Free Service for One Day In a text message to existing subscribers, D2h said “Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Entertained. In support of Janta Curfew, d2h extends your account by one day. The same shall be adjusted on your next recharge.” As noted, Dish TV and other DTH operators did not announce any such move. This essentially means D2h subscribers are getting service for free of cost....

Disney+ Hotstar, one of the most popular over-the-top (OTT) platforms globally, is now available for Rs 151 only. For this price, users will get the subscription to the OTT platform for three months. This means users are essentially paying Rs 50.33 per month for the subscription. But the thing is, this is not a direct subscription. You can’t buy it directly from the OTT platform’s website. If you want it, you will have to go for the Rs 151 data voucher from Vodafone Idea (Vi)....

4G Spectrum Allocation to BSNL and MTNL Likely to Happen Soon “The Department of Telecom has sent a draft cabinet note on 4G spectrum allocation to BSNL and MTNL and implementation of voluntary retirement scheme in these organisation. Comments from some of the key ministries are awaited,” an official source told PTI. Both the companies have also sought spectrum for 4G services through equity infusion from the government. BSNL, which has the lowest debt of Rs 14,000 crore among all telecom operators, has sought 4G spectrum across India through equity infusion of Rs 7,000 crore....

With new satellite communications (satcom) players entering the Indian market next year, the need for high-frequency spectrum would be shared by both satcom players and terrestrial network service providers. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is planning to conduct a spectrum auction next year for both the satcom and terrestrial network companies, reports The Hindu BusinessLine. The satcom industry has been very vocal about the need for allocating the spectrum administratively....

The faster the 5G trials conclude in the country, the faster the telecom service providers (TSPs) will be able to roll out the commercial 5G networks. However, due to the delay from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in introducing a revised National Frequency Allocation Policy (NFAP), the telcos are in confusion about whether or not they should go ahead with the millimetre wave bands (26 GHz - 28 GHz) for conducting trials....

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has released the Draft Telecom Bill 2022. If this bill is passed and framed into an act, then it is how the telecom sector will be governed. In the draft telecom bill 2022 which is now available for everyone to read on the DoT website, it is mentioned that spectrum can be allocated in multiple ways including: a) auction process, b) administrative allocation, and c) in any other manner as may be prescribed....

What is e-RUPI? e-RUPI is a cashless and contactless financial instrument which is developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The e-RUPI is based on a QR code or SMS based e-voucher system that will be delivered directly on the smartphone of the beneficiary. The beneficiary can then redeem the e-voucher or the code by going to the government authorised service provider. Initially, Prime Minister Modi said that users could use the e-RUPI against healthcare services....

Entel, the largest telecom company in Chile, has announced its second significant move in as many days, announcing that it will continue to provide internet services while selling the assets of its fibre optic business. The $358 million transaction will see the company, which offers services to houses, sold to a regional firm called ONNET Fibra. The agreement is a component of a pact that will let Entel keep providing internet connections for homes on the ONNET network....

Non-Chinese telecom vendors Nokia and Ericsson are seeking relaxation from the government in restrictive condition like local value addition to push the domestic equipment manufacturing in India. As reported by ET Telecom, the Delhi-based telecom group, which represents various multinational vendors, have asked DoT to define the value composition for hardware and software design and development as a part of local content. Ericsson spokesperson noted that the telecom gear supplier is seeking support from the government so that total value addition in India in products and services are taken into consideration for the public procurement policy....

ETV Bal Bharat is an entertainment TV channel made especially for kids that was launched a few days back. It is owned by the ETV network based out of Hyderabad. The TV broadcasting group has already launched a number of successful channels in India. For quite some time now, the ETV Group was working on developing an offering for kids as well. With the launch of ETV Bal Bharat, they have reached their goal of creating an offering for kids of India....

Excitel, an internet service provider (ISP) which aims to offer low-cost high-speed broadband internet services in India has raised $11.5 million from the existing as well as new tech investors based out of Europe. The company has ambitions to reach at least 100 cities in India by the end of 2022. To do this, there’s a dire need for capital and Excitel has managed to raise that. Along with reaching new cities, Excitel plans to enhance its technology stack and customer experience to ensure better services for users....

The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was set up in 2003 by the Indian government to speed up connectivity in rural and backward parts of the country. While it was set up with good intent for the nation, the fund has been sucking up telcos dry of cash for a long time now. The telcos have to contribute to the USOF out of their revenues. For the unaware, the 8% license fee (LF) that telecom companies have to pay to the government out of their adjusted gross revenue includes 5% USOF....

Jio Platforms Now Amongst Top 5 Listed Companies in India While the transaction is subjected to regulatory and other customary approvals, the investment values Jio Platforms amongst the top five listed companies in India by market capitalization. Further, Reliance said that the feat was achieved within three and half years of launch of commercial services. “All of us at Reliance are therefore humbled by the opportunity to welcome Facebook as our long-term partner in continuing to grow and transform the digital ecosystem of India for the benefit of all Indians,” Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, said in the release....

Facebook is one of the most used social media apps in the world. Even today, some people prefer logging in Facebook via the website and not the app. The Facebook app keeps getting updated now and then, but what about the website? In its bid to make the website experience better than ever, Facebook has updated the user interface of the website and added new Dark Mode to it. Earlier in March, this new change to the website was rolled out for the majority of Facebook website users, but now it will be available for everyone in the world....

The fixed broadband download and upload speeds in India have improved substantially when compared with the same period last year. According to an Ookla report, the fixed broadband download speeds in India have jumped to 60.06 Mbps in July 2021. In comparison, during the same period last year, the fixed broadband download speed was 40.45 Mbps. Further, the fixed broadband upload speeds in India have jumped from 35.04 Mbps in July 2020 to 56....

Gionee is finally back in the market after a long time. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has launched three new smartwatches in India. Gionee has launched the Gionee Watch 5 (GSW5), Gionee Watch 4 (GSW4) and Gionee Senorita (GSW3). All the three smartwatches have been launched by the company under the Smart ‘Life’ Watch series. The new smartwatches launched has some of the best specifications and features under affordable price range....

“Yahoo Mail has 228 million users a month. Little by little, Gmail displaced incumbents like AOL Mail and Hotmail,” reports CNET. It’s still a free product for consumers, but Gmail has now become a paid suite of enterprise products, including presentation and word processing software. A year after Gmail, the company launched Google Maps which is now the leading map service on the web. Google also bought Android and YouTube, the biggest mobile operating system and video-sharing site....

Google, whilst launching its first-gen Pixel device hoped to showcase what it felt was the true version of Android, quite different from the stock android UI found on alternatives such as Nokia or Motorola. With this, the company hoped to achieve massive success and, whilst the company has managed to capitalise on the former, for better or for worse, the latter seems to be a distant dream. A key reason for this, for lack of a better word fall from existence, is the design or approach that the Pixel takes to the smartphone market....

Let me explain with a simple example why have I used the word ‘refined’: Suppose there are two cab service providers where one (A) started its services nine years back and the other (B) two years back. A has built its business by catering to the needs of varied customer segments - who are the differently abled, aged, heart patients, young college students and even the working class - on specific trips at different price points....

The Internet has become a part of everything we do throughout the day. It has become the source of entertainment, news, a platform to assist us in working remotely, learn about anything in the world. The number of applications and uses of the internet is very high. That being said, a slow internet connection is an irritating barrier between us achieving everything we want through the internet. When you get an internet connection, there are a number of issues that can result in slow internet speed....